Took my three sons to the beach for mothers day and decided it was a great time for lessons. My oldest (10) has been learning for a year but the other two are just starting to show interest. The waves were a clean 1-3 feet and pretty fun. I even jumped in for a half dozen short rides in the shallow beach break. My oldest caught two on his own while my middle (6) needed a good push to get in the small break. My youngest (4) loved riding the shallow white water break near shore. Mom had a great day of relaxing in the sun and taking pictures. A great way to spend a mothers day in Hawaii!

I didn't expected much waves this morning but we decided to have a look. And we found this: a 80cm - 1m perfection !!!

A good right-left. I started with my fish alone on those candys. The people strated to come and I get my longboard. It was really fun to surf as the waves were pretty long with a perfect shape.

The crowd starts

At one time, there was too much people so I decided to change. I went to a smaller peak with a 60cm perfect wave !!!! It was such a pleasure to take all the waves with nearly no paddle and just stand up on the longboard.

At the end, it was a gooood session....

I went back to the water later in the day but, except the turn below, it was crappy.

Scott and I hit up in-betweens this week for the Saturday Dawn Patrol, since we had so much fun last week in that area. We hit the water by 0530 and were the only two out for the first thirty minutes. We each caught a good four or five waves that were in the waist high range when we got the bright idea to hit Kiasers that was breaking a little bigger. We padled over and each caught two or three waves with only one other guy in the water before the waves dropped, people showed up, and I got dragged across the low tide reef. We sat there for a good thirty minutes before the next set came in and we had to fight eight others for the small waves breaking late. We decided to call it and paddle in via in-betweens. Much to our amazment when we hit the break there were clean knee high waves and only one other surfer! We spent another hour nose ridding, smacking lips on cut backs, and just having some plain old fun. All in all for being windy, choppy, and cold by Hawaii standards (and getting my leg sliced up by coral) it was a great morning to watch the sun rise over Diamond head and Waikiki from the line up.

This week at Seal Beach: After a clean early morning session Tuesday, Wednesday we had "Victory at Sea" windblown chop compliments of Mr. Catalina Eddy. This morning (Thursday) clean glassy conditions with a mix of NW/SSE and SW southern hemi swells in the water. After a slow start due to a dawn high tide we had classic conditions lasting for over an hour before the outgoing tide took the swell size with it. A mix of chest to shoulder high "Harvey Wallbanger" pier bowls refracting off the sea wall and big middle peaks, into the pier, "suicide rights".

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Only a hand full of us out there taking it in turns (Los Alamitos High School team gets out of the water at 8 AM) getting some really nice waves, riding my 9'2" Jean Luc Roberts performance (2 plus 1) longboard. Then I saw it, a dark mountain of a swell lit up the end of the pier ... quick look around ... I was further outside, in the right spot, started paddling out to sea as fast as I could ... yeah it was a big peak all right, a couple of feet overhead at least and clean! A combination of swells from the far NW in the Gulf of Alaska and the deep Southern Ocean meeting on the west coast of California.

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How many times have you been out in great conditions, slicing and dicing chest to shoulder sized sets, everything dialed in, just having a blast and wishing for that one rogue wave ... that wave of the day ... that perfect wave.

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"The Perfect Wave"

Spun around and took the drop, like stepping off a roof, hit the bottom, launched out and up the wall, staying high, couple of small pumps through the bowl, really moving now, barreling down the wall, the wave grinding over the inside sandbar and my board going so fast it was vibrating ... spat me a 100 yards down the line, all the way into the surf school floundering in the shore break. (You know you got a good one when the beginners, eyes as big as tea cups, say "Wow Sir that one was huge!")

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Friday my buddy and I went back for more Pier Bowls but unfortunately so did half of Orange County. The takeoff spot by the sea wall can only handle a few people, you really got to take it in turns, this morning was cutthroat, everybody jockeying for position and yelled at each other ... only got one screamer by myself across the inside sandbar pumping my SuperFish like crazy with the foam ball nipping at my heels!

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"The Big Easy"

Saturday the swell had built up with just a light onshore and the "River" San Gabriel river mouth Los Alamitos Bay (Ray Bay), Seal Beach was actually breaking great at "Cuda's" over by the north wall and not too crowded. "The Big Easy" head high big green roller peaks with warm water flowing from the Power Grid upstream . You fade into, run out in front of, then crank off the bottom ... Easy up, then snap off the top.

Scott and I headed to town for the Saturday dawn patrol, we started out heading to Kawalos, but there was a large boat stranded on a very low tide reef. So we moved down to Kaisers, Fours, & Threes. We were in the water by 0530 and surfing some solid fast chest high waves by 0545. This was Scotts first time in this area and he has added it to his favorites. There was a solid friendly older local crowd of about 10-15 people and we were all great about sharing waves and even giving up a couple so there could be some great mid face nose rides! The lefts at Fours and the Rights at threes combined with the crew in the water made this an unforgetable session.

I went really early in the water to be alo. And I was rewarded as the waves, even not perfect, were hollow to surf. After 30min to understand how the sand bank works, I get good hollow waves with tubular sections.

Went down to town with Scott for a little Aloha Friday pre-work session. We are catching the falling southy that has been here all week with high trades. We were the second and third people out to the breaks at 0520 and they were rolling in at waist to shoulder with the rare head high. There were plenty of waves to share and a great group of older surfers talking story. If every session could be this good I would never leave the water!

Went out for a pre work session with a couple of guys from work. It was Adams' first time out! We ran the mile long path next to the runways to get out there as the sun was coming up. The waves were coming in at shoulder to overhead from the south and the winds were established and coming from the east creating a little chop. We climbed down the rocks and paddled out to the empty breaks and had the place to ourselves for about an hour before people started showing up by the boatload. Nate tore it up on his fish while I worked with Adam and caught a few nice lefts and then rights. The swell could have been better, but Adam is hooked and new partnerships have been established!

I thought therewould be no session this morning. The good surprise was that the onshore wind was not so strong. SO I get a fun session in bumpy but rideable waves. There were multipeak and had good sections to surf.

Well....Ended up glassing on a big ol Single fin from a long board to replace the one I snapped off on the South Shore.

My first intro to Sunset.

I've checked it before...but twice it has been totally out of control with North Shore Conditions off the richter and no one in the water. In liu I've chosen Haliewa...which aint no joke either when things are like this.

Once, I checked it and it was Sunset proper. The 7' foot board I had was not going to cut it. Just big and gnarly with what looked like a pretty good rip. The wise decision to abort was indeed wise.

Today was perfect....a freak little north swell in the morning. Only 5 guys out. Occassional 10'+ faces. Just a perfect intro for me. Got to see the once in awhile freak sets come through and swing wide and catch everyone off guard. Caught a couple walled up fast ones that got tubular. Caught some lame mushy ones that didn't go anywhere. Also, Sat on the inside and tried out the bowl that breaks right up on the beach. Watch out for that! That inside reef ain't no joke either.